A pool measuring 18 meters by 22 meters is surrounded by a path of uniform width. If the area of the pool and the path combined is 1440 square meters, what is the width of the path?

Answer: the width of the uniform path is 9 meters.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x represent the width of the uniform path.

A pool measuring 18 meters by 22 meters is surrounded by a path of uniform width. It means that the combined length of the pool and the uniform path is (18 + 2x) meters and the combined width of the pool and the uniform path is (22 + 2x) meters.

If the area of the pool and the path combined is 1440 square meters, it means that

(18 + 2x) (22 + 2x) = 1440

396 + 36x + 44x + 4x² = 1440

4x² + 80x + 396 - 1440 = 0

4x² + 80x - 1044 = 0

Dividing both sides of the equation by 4, it becomes

x² + 20x - 261 = 0

x² + 29x - 9x - 261 = 0

x (x + 29) - 9 (x + 29) = 0

x - 9 = 0 or x + 29 = 0

x = 9 or x = 29

Since the width cannot be negative, then x = 9 meters